Automatic regulator for timepiece



D. A. Bl. .Y ETAL AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR TIMEPIECE Aug. 4, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Fild Sept. 16, 1959 4 I w. I l I H m m ll 4 f '1 iliilll you/es 001N650 7 5y sen/lye Fig. 2 i

INVENTORS Donald A. By and Robert Bylaw. l 9W ATTORNEYS D. A. BLY ETAL 3,142,956

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR TIMEPIECE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 4, 1964 Filed Sept. 16. 1959 HUI/RS OVA/V650 B) SETT/NG' INVENTORS' 0011214 A. Bgyflrzd Robert- 15. Liz? BY 9 v' ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,1425% Patented Aug. 4., 1964 3,142,956 7 AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR TIMEPIECE Donald A. Bly, Millersville, Pa., and Robert E. Le Blane,

Silver Spring, Md, assignors to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 16, .1959, Ser. No. 840,342 15 Claims. (Cl. 58-855) This invention relates to a timepiece with an automatic regulator and more particularly relates to a timepiece so constructed as to automatically accomplish regulation thereof when the hands of the timepiece are set.

Conventional timepieces, such as watches and clocks, are ordinarily provided with a regulator which is accessible either from inside the case or from the back of the timepiece so that the timepiece. may be regulated to keep accurate time. In certain types of timepieces, however, such as automobile clocks, the mounting of the clock makes it diflicult to provide a readily accessible regulator which is not also subject to undesired tampering, such as by chlidren. In solving this difficulty, it has been proposed to provide an automatic regulator which is actuated to cause regulation each time that the hands of the clock are set to correct an inaccurate time indication. In a certain type of regulator of this nature which has been proposed heretofore it has been suggested that it is essential to proper automatic regulation that some means be provided to insure that the regulation set into a clock in a specific period of time is limited to a predetermined maximum. As one means of accomplishing this, it has been suggested to always vary the regulator by a predetermined fixed amount each time that the hands of the clock are set. One such example of this type of regulator is shown in Rabinow Patent No. 2,542,430. According to another suggestion of the same inventor (Rabinow Patent No. 2,858,029) it has been proposed to utilize limit means for limiting the magnitude of change of adjustment for a change in indication within a predetermined period of time to insure that at no time will the change in regulator adjustment exceed this predetermined amount. In conjunction with such limit means this same inventor provides a regulator lock-on so that it is impossible to re-regulate during a predetermined period of time.

Accordingto the present invention it has now been found that'satisfactory automatic regulation may be readily achieved without the use of a predetermined regulation set into the clock each time that the hands are set, or the use of a limiting device to insure that no more than a certain predetermined amount of regulation can be set into a clock atany given setting of its hands, or an automatic regulator lock-out. Thus, in a device constructed according to this invention there is no limit on the amount of regulation which can be set into the clock at any given setting of the clock hands other than the limit imposed on the movement of the regulator itself, a limit which has always existed in all regulated timepieces. However, while the invention contemplates the possibility of substantially unlimited regulation at any given setting, the unit is so constructed that the regulation achieved, by setting the hands of the clock is not continuously uniform.

As opposed to the prior concept of a limitation on the maximum regulation which may be injected into the clock in. a. predetermined period of time, the present invention utilizes a system which provides for regulation as a non-linear function of clock setting. That is to say, there is no limitation on the amount of regulation which can be injected into a clock at a given setting or in a predetermined period of time but theregulation occurs ata non-uniform rate so that regulation is effected at a high rate only during the initial movement of the setting tion will become more apparent upon reference to the stem and then is effected at a much lower rate or at a zero rate until the setting stem has been twisted a certain predetermined amount. At this time regulation again occurs at a high rate and the sequence may be indefinitely repeated. As one advantageous result of this system it becomes possible for a clock repairman to inject a large amount of regulation from the front of the clock without tampering with the regulating mechanism itself. As a second advantage it is possible to correct a regulation in the wrong direction which has been injected by inadvertently moving the clock hands in the wrong direction. Neither of these advantages is possible with the limit and lock-out systems previously mentioned.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved automatic regulator for a timepiece.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved automatic regulator for a timepiece wherein there is no limitation on the amount of regulation which can be injected into the timepiece at any given setting of the hands but wherein the rate of movement of the regulator corresponding to a given increment of movement of the setting of the hands is not uniform.

It is another object of the invention to provide an automatic regulator for a timepiece wherein the amount of regulation corresponding to a given increment of setting of the hands varies as the hands are set.

It is another object of the invention to provide an automatic regulator including a discontinuous drive between the setting mechanism and regulator.

It is another object of the invention to provide an automatic regulator which includes a low-velocity drive means between the setting mechanism and rate regulator wherein the drive means has a drive characteristic which, in one complete cycle of drive thereof, produces an output of non-uniform rate for a uniform rate input.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic regulator including a low-velocity drive for causing an'unlimited non-linear progressive step-rate of adjustment of the rate regulator of a timepiece at different rates as the time setting means is moved'continuously to drive the time indicating means through its entire range of indication.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic regulator including a low-velocity drive for injecting an automatic unlimited non-linear rate of adjustment to the rate regulator of a timepiece in a first direction and then immediately injecting the automatic unlimited non-linear rate of adjustment in an opposite direction on actuation of the time setting means in an opposite direction.

It-is another object ofthe invention to provide an automatic regulator including a low-velocity rotably driven automatic regulator which has no limit on the amount of regulation which may be injected in one setting and no means to'lock-out' the regulating mechanism for a predetermined period of time butwhich still'provides practical insurance against the injection of excessive regulation.

These and further objects and advantages of'the invenfollowing'specification and claims and appended drawings wherein:

, FIGURE l is a perspective view of an automatic regulator constructed according to one embodiment of the invention;

tion set into the timepiece as a function of the setting of the hands.

Referring to FIGURE 1 there is seen an automatic regulator attached to a clock having a frame 10, hour wheel 12, hour hand 14, minute wheel 16 and setting staff 18. The clock is provided with a regulator arm 20 carried by a gear sector 22. V

An idler shaft 24 carries a first clutch gear 26 and a second clutch gear 28, the gear 26 being pinned or otherwise secured to the shaft 24 but the gear 28 being rotatable thereon. A collar 30 is pinned or otherwise secured toshaft 24 to limit upward movementof gear 28. The gear 28 is provided with a hole 32 which is adapted to receive the lower end of a pin 34 mounted in the watch frame. A pair of clutch halves 36 and 38 are secured to the upper and under surfaces of the gears 26 and 28 respectively and have serrated surfaces which establish a drive connection between the two clutch halves when the clutch halves are moved together. Referring to FIGURE 2, each clutch half is provided with a bore 40,

42 and a coil spring 44 is positioned within the bores to urge the two clutch halves 36 and 38 apart. Since the lower gear 26 is secured to the shaft 24, this causes an upwardly biasing force against the upper gear 28 urging it into engagement with the collar 30.

The setting staif18 carries at its lower end a setting 'pinion 45 having a wide diameter skirt 46 mounted thereabove. A setting knob 48 is mounted at the upper end of the setting staif18 and the entire setting staff assembly is biased upwardly by means of a coil' spring 50. An -idler gear 52 is mounted between the gear 26 on shaft 24 and the sector 22 which operates the regulator.

In the position of the assemblage shown, the setting fpinion 44 is out of'engagement with the minute wheel 16 and the clutch halves 38 and 36'are clear of one another.

When the setting stafi": 18 is depressed in order to set the hands of the clock the pinion 45 engages the minute wheel 16 as the skirt 46 simultaneously moves gear 28 downwardly to free it from the pin 34 in frame and torcause clutch halves 36 and 38 to engage to establish a drive connection fromthe gear 28 to regulating sector 22.' At

'thistime rotation of the setting knob 48 to set the hands of the clock introducesregulation into the regulator by rotating minute wheel 16 in a conventional manner.

A second idler shaft 52 carries a first gear 54 which may be pinned to the shaft and-which engages the gear 28 on idler shaft 24. Shaft 52 also carries a second gear 56 through a conventional friction clutch connection 58.

Gear 56 engages the hour wheel 12 so that motion is transmitted to the gear 56 and through gear 54 to gear 28 so long as gear 28 is in engagement with gear 54 and is not lockedby the pin 34. V

The operation of the regulator is as follows:

When the setting staff 18 is depressed downwardly to set the hands of the clock the pinion 45 engages minute wheel 16 to cause hand setting in the conventional manner with a resulting rotation of the hourwheel 12. Skirt 46 on staff 18 simultaneously moves gear 28 downwardly free of pin 34 causing clutch ha1ves36 and 38 to engage so as 'to transmit this rotation of the hour wheel into motion of the regulator sector 22 through gears 56, 54,

28, 26 and 52.

After setting has been accomplished, the setting staff 18 is released, setting pinion 45 clears minute wheel 16 and coil spring 44 separates clutch halves 36 and 38 thereby moving gear 28 upwardly. At this time, however, the gear 28 has been rotated from the position shown in FIGURE 1 so that hole 32 no longer is opposite the pin 34 and the gear 26 cannot rise to its uppermost position shown in FIGURE 1 in engagement with the collar 30. The gear 28 is of such thickness however, that it remains engaged with the gear 54 in this half raised position so that gear 28 is driven by the hour wheel 12 through gears 56 and 54. This drive continues until the hole 32 is again opposite pin 34 whereupon gear 28 springs into the position shown in FIGURE 1 in readiness for a further operation of the type just described. Continued rotation of the hour wheel 12 will continue to rotate the gear 56 but will not impart motion to gear 28 because the gear is locked and the clutch 58 between gear 56 and shaft 52 permits the gear 56 to rotate without imparting any drive. .The gears 28 and 54 are elliptical in shape or, alternatively, may be cylindrical gears eccentrically mounted. Through the use of such an expedient it is possible to cause a change in regulation at a high rate during the first rotation of the setting staff .18 followed by a change in regulation at a low rate until the elliptical or eccentric gears 28 and 54 again reach their initial position. Thus, referring to FIGURE 3, there is shown a curve representing the amount of regulation set into the clock for any givenarnount of hour change in the setting hands of the clock. ,It will. be seen that the initial portion of this curve at A is. steep and, as an example, may change the regulation of the clock 25 seconds per 24 hoursfor the first two hours of setting change. The shape of the gears then causes the change in regulation per unit of rotation duringthe next eight hours of rotation to be relatively small as shown by the portionof the curve at B. After 10 hours of setting change the regulation again increases at C to repeat the portion of the curve shown at A and will do so indefinitely limited, of course, to the inherent limit of movement of the rateregulator (not shown). 7 7 With the automatic regulator of the. present invention it is possible to secure'proportional regulation during a predetermined movement of the hands of the clock duringsetting followed by a change in regulation at a much lower rate for any additional setting of the hands up to a maximum change in hand setting of 12 hours. Since it would beunusual to set the hands of a clock more than twelve. hours this provides insurance against over-regula: tion.. If the clock is again set prior tothe timefthat the gear 28 has been returned to its position in locking engagement with pin 34, regulation occurs only at the smaller rate indicated by the portion of the curve at B. It should be appreciated that this regulator is not locked out after a single regulation so as to prohibit any further regulation during a predetermined .periodof time. This is advantageous in that if, in setting the clock, the hands are first turned in an erroneous direction, it is merely necessary to reverse the direction of rotation of the hands in order to erase or remove the erroneous regulation. which has just been introduced.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 there 'is shown another embodiment of an automatic regulator in a clock having a frame 54, hour wheel 56, hour hand 58, minute wheel 60,.and setting staff 62. The lower portion of the setting staff 62 carries a settingpinion 64 having a skirt 66 mounted thereabove and the upper end of the setting staff carries a knob 68. The setting staff and its associated pinion 64 are biased upwardly by means of a coil spring 70 mounted between the knob 68 and frame 54.

V .The clock is provided with a regulator, not shown, which is adapted to be moved byrthe rotation of the shaft 72. As an example, the regulator may be attached to gear sector such as shownat 22 in FIGURE 1 and the shaft 72 may move this sector by means of a Worm gear. Shaft 72 carries a pinion 74. A staff 76 mountedin the frame 54 of the clock carries a gear 78 adapted to engage the setting pinion 64 when the setting staff 62 is depressed downwardly to cause pinion 64 to engage the minute wheel 60 to set the hands of the clock. Staff 76 also carries an arm 80 having a single tooth 82 at its. outer extremity for engaging the pinion 74 at the end of regulator shaft 72. Staff 76 also carries a heart-shaped cam 84. The shaft 76 is biased upwardly into the position shown in FIGURE 4 as by means of a coil spring 96 mounted between the arm 80 and clock frame 54.

Referring now to the-hour wheel 56, this wheel carries a pin 86 which engages the back side of a bent arm 88 pivoted to the watch frame at 90 and biased in a counterclockwise direction by means of a coil spring 92 secured between the arm and the watch frame 54. An upstanding .drivingly engages gear 78 and tooth 82 on arm '80 engages the top of regulating gear 74.

When the setting staff is now rotated to set the hands of the clock, gear 78 is rotated along with arm 80 to cause rotation of the gear 74 thereby effecting regulation. It will be seen that the amount of regulation which can be here introduced is proportional to the rotation of the setting staff for a given amount of such rotation but thereafter-clears gear 74 until the arm 80 has been rotated 360 degrees to bring the tooth 82 back in position to again inject regulation into the regulator shaft 72. As a result,

proportional regulation is provided during the first rotation of the setting shaft followed by no regulation for a further period of time but again followed by regulation if the setting hands are further rotated. The drive between the setting stem and regulator is thus an intermittent or discontinuous low-velocity drive.

At the time that regulation was started, the heart cam 84 was in the position shown in relation to the arm 80 and gear 74. Regulation has now caused the heart cam 84 to move from this position and when the hour wheel 56 rotates to move finger 94 to the left in engagement with cam 84, the cam is returned to the position shown, so that at the end of 12 hours it is in readiness for the same type of regulation. It should be appreciated, however, that during this period of time the regulator is not locked out, in that it is possible to regulate by simply rotating the setting staff enough to bring the arm 80-to the position shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring to FIGURE 5, there is shown a graph illustrating the type of regulation obtained with this mechanism. In a first rotation of the setting stem of the clock illustrated regulation occurs at the portion A of the curve at a rate of, for example, 25 seconds per 24 hours during the first two hours of setting change. After this the finger 82 clears gear 74 so that at the portion of the curve illustrated at B no regulationoccurs. At the portion of the curve shown at C, however, the finger 82 has again returned to the position shown in FIGURE 1 so that further regulation. can be introduced at this same initial rate. The same procedure can be repeated indefinitely, limited, of course, by the inherent limit of movement of the rate regulator (not shown), and illustrates the intermittent or discontinuous low-velocity drive nature of the regulator.

With the automatic regulators of this invention, it is possible for one to intelligently inject into the clock as much regulation as is desired, limited, of course, to the inherent limit of movement of the rate regulator (not shown). That is to say, there is no arbitrary limit on the amount of regulation which can be set into the clock at one setting of the clock hands, thereby permitting regulation corrections which are not possible with the limit and lock out type of automatic regulation. On the other hand, while unlimited regulation is permitted the nature of the regulation is such that regulation occurs at a relatively high rate during only a limited predetermined rotation of the setting hands so that unless the hands are set through a time indication in excess of 12 hours an excessive regulation is not injected into the clock. If regulation is again attempted after an initial setting which exceeds this predetermined amount of hand setting, regulation occurs at a very low rate or not at all. Where la clock is to be set for a relatively small time error, such as for instance, on the order of ten or fifteen minutes, it is not at all uncommon for the person setting the clock to first rotate the hands ofthe clock in the wrong direction. With the limit and lock out devices which have been previously proposed this would inject an erroneous regulation and it would be impossible to erase this regu lation until after a predetermined period of time had elapsed. With the iunit of the present invention, however, the injection of an erroneous regulation of a small amount in this manner canbe immediately corrected by moving the hands of the clock in the proper direction.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description,v and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended tobe embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A device for automatic regulation of the escapement hair spring of a timepiece in connection with the setting of the hands of said timepiece comprising a rotatable adjusting shaft for setting the hands of said timepiece, regulating means for said hair spring, and driving means drivingly coupled between said adjusting shaft and said regulating means when said adjusting shaft is operated, said driving means. comprising an intermittent drive for transforming continuous rotary motion of said adjusting shaft in a single direction to intermittent additive motion of said regulating means.

tion of said time setting means causing said drive means to be actuated; the actuation of said drive means actuating said rate regulating means for injecting an automatic unlimited adjustment to said rate regulating means at a nonlinear rate with respect to an adjustment of said time setting means at a linear rate as said time indicating means is moved through its complete time indicating range.

3. A device as set out in claim 2 wherein said automatic rate-regulating means is capable of injecting said automatic unlimited non-linear adjustment in a first direction and then immediately injecting said automatic unlimited non-lnear adjustment in the apposite direction on actuation of said time setting means in the opposite direction.

4. A device for the automatic regulation of a timepiece in connection with the setting of its time indicating means comprising: time measuring means; time indicating means actuated by said time measuring means; time setting means having time setting and non-setting positions for setting said time indicating means to any position in its time indicating range; rate regulating means for regulating the rate of said time measuring means; and automatic regulating means including low-velocity drive means having a rotary input and a rotary output; said drive means having a drive characteristic which produces an output of nonuniform rate for a uniform rate input; continuous rotation 'of said input causing said output to occur at a first output rate forapredetermined amount of rotation of said input, at a second output rate for a further predetermined amount of rotation of said input, and again at said first output rate as said input is rotated more than said second predeterminedamount; said drive means being coupled between said time setting means and said rate regulating means when said time setting means is in its time setting position; so as to be capable of causing an unlimited nonuniform adjustment of said rate regulating means as a result of a uniform movement of said setting means with continuous movement of said time setting means causing adjustment of said rate regulating means to occur at a first adjustment rate as said setting means is moved a first predetermined amount, at a second adjustment rate as said setting means is moved a second predetermined amount, and again at said first adjustment rate when said setting means is moved more than said second predetermined amount.

5. A device as set out in claim 4 wherein said second rate is in the range from zero to a rate considerably less than said first rate.

6. A device, as set out in claim 5 wherein said second rate is zero.

7. A device as set out in claim 5 wherein said second rate exceeds zero.

8.-A device for the automatic regulation of a timepiece in'connection with the setting of its time indicating means comprising: time measuring means; time indicating .means actuated by said time measuring means; time setting means and said rate regulating means for causing a nonlinear step rate of adjustment of said rate regulating means as a result of linear movement of said time setting means;

said rate regulating means including a discontinuous lowvelocity drive means for causing a first adjustment of said rate regulating means which is substantially proportional to the movement of said time setting means during a first predetermined movement of said time setting means; said drive means then causing no adjustment of said rate regulating means during a second predetermined movement of said time setting means; and said drive means then progressively repeating said first proportional adjustment and said no adjustment of said rate regulating means as said time setting means is progressively moved said first and second predetermined distances.

9. A device as set out in claim 8 wherein said discontinuous low velocity drive member comprises a gearing mechanism including one gear having discontinuous tooth means.

10. A device as set out in claim 8' wherein said discontinuous low velocity drive member comprises: a gearing mechanism including a drive shaft and a driven shaft;

said drive shaft causing motion of said driven shaft during only a small portion of one revolution of said drive shaft. e

11.'A Idevice for'th e automatic regulation of a timepiece in connection with the setting of its time indicating means comprising: time measuring means; time indicating means actuated bysaid time measuring means; time setting means having time setting and non-setting positions for setting said time indicating means to any position in its time indicating range; rate regulating means for regulating the rate of said time measuring means; automatic regulating means coupled between said time setting means and said rate regulating means when said time setting means is in its time setting position for causing a nonlinear step rate of adjustment of said rate regulating means as a result of linear movement of said time setting means; said automatic regulating means comprising a reciprocable shaft; a gear mounted on said shaft for reciprocation'therewith; a regulator actuator arm mounted on said shaft for reciprocation therewith; spring means biasing said actuating arm-into an inoperative position with respect to said rate regulating means; and means carried by said time setting means to overcome the bias of said spring means and to 'move said actuator arm into operative'position with said rate regulating means for injecting said non-linear step rate of adjustment into said rate regulating means. V

12. A device as set out in claim 11 wherein said time setting means carries a disc member engageable with said gear mounted on said shaft of said automatic regulating means to cause reciprocation of said shaft for moving said regulator actuator arm into its operative position.

13. A device as set out in claim 12 wherein said time setting means further carries a pinion engageable with said gear on said shaft of said automatic regulating means to rotate said shaft thereby injecting said adjustment of the rate regulating means when said regulator actuator arm engages said rate regulating means. i 14. A device as set out in claim 13 further including cam means carried by said shaft of said automatic regulating means, and means driven by said time measuring means and engageable with said cam means to restore said regulator actuator arm into a predetermined fixed posivtion with respect to said rate regulating means.

15. A device as set out in claim 14 wherein said cam means consists of a heart-shaped cam carried by said shaft of said automatic regulating means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE GERTIFIGATE 0F CORRECTION Patent No 3,l42,956 August 4, 1964 Donald Bly et a1,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patentshould read as corrected below.

Column 6, line 64 for "non-1near" read n0n-1inear same line 64,. for ."apposite" read opposite column 7 line 13, after "said" insert time Signed and sealed this 29th day of December 1964.

v Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Altesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKCE QERTIFICATE OF CGRRECTION Patent N0o 3,142,956 August 4, 1964 Donald A, Bly et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the I said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 6, line 64 for "non-1near" read now-linear same line 64, for "apposite" read opposite column 7 line 13, after "said" insert time Signed and sealed this 29th day of December 1964.

SEA L) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC REGULATION OF THE ESCAPEMENT HAIR SPRING OF A TIMEPIECE IN CONNECTION WITH THE SETTING OF THE HANDS OF SAID TIMEPIECE COMPRISING A ROTATABLE ADJUSTING SHAFT FOR SETTING THE HANDS OF SAID TIMEPIECE, REGULATING MEANS FOR SAID HAIR SPRING, AND DRIVING MEANS DRIVINGLY COUPLED BETWEEN SAID ADJUSTING SHAFT IS OPERATED, SAID DRIVING MEANS COMPRISING AN INTERMITTENT DRIVE FOR TRANSFORMING CONTINUOUS ROTARY MOTION OF SAID ADJUSTING SHAFT IN A SINGLE DIRECTION TO INTERMITTENT ADDITIVE MOTION OF SAID REGULATING MEANS. 